The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the University of Minnesota have been working with the state's dairy farmers for the past decade to reduce somatic cell counts and as a result, the average SCC level has dropped significantly.

Somatic cell count is a key indicator of milk quality. A lower SCC count is better for cheese production and a longer shelf life. Although somatic cells occur naturally and are not a food-safety concern, dairy farmers monitor them because processors will pay a premium for milk with low counts. A farmer whose herd has a very low count can receive significantly more per hundredweight compared to a farmer whose herd average is high.

Producers ranked in the top 100 in Douglas County include: Matt Kraemer and Collin Doherty, both using the Pro-Ag Farmers Cooperative plant. Todd County producers in the top 100 include: Roger and Laura Primus and Mike Motl and Kim Harff using Osakis Creamery Association; Paul and Bonnie Middendorf and Roy and Teresa Perish using Nelson Creamery Association; and Thomas Panek and Keith Middendorf using First District Association.

When the initiative began in 2003, the SCC levels on the Top 100 list were as high as 144,000 compared to an SCC of 100,000 or lower in 2012. Nineteen Minnesota dairies have been on the Top 100 list in at least eight out of the past 10 years.

The farmers making the Top 100 list receive a certificate of congratulations signed by Commissioner Frederickson.